


Denouement

by SailorChibi



Series: wanda's curse verse [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Bucky Barnes Has PTSD, Character Redemption, Clint Barton Has Issues, Clint Barton Has PTSD, Gen, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Phil Coulson, Psychological issues, Talk of Mind Control, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, hope van dyne as an avenger, not wanda maximoff friendly, sam wilson is doing the smart thing and taking astep back, scott lang as an avenger, sharon carter as an avenger, so do not read if you like wanda maximoff, steve rogers doesn't always make good choices, steve rogers tries too hard, talk of brainwashing, tony stark is just so tired, tony stark surrounds himself with good people, very wanda maximoff critical, wanda maximoff is a sociopath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:02:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24082519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: Wanda is finally putting her plan into motion. But this time, Tony isn't alone.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Tony Stark
Series: wanda's curse verse [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/679472
Comments: 242
Kudos: 1140





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the final part of this series. We've nearly reached the end!

Right, left. Right, left. Right, left. Right left right left right left right left –

Steve caught his breath, the tender flesh on his knuckles throbbing for a split second before his accelerated healing kicked in and soothed the pain. He flexed his hands anyway, working out the stiffness as he stared at the still swaying punching bag. When he’d first woken up in this century, none of the exercise equipment had been strong enough to withstand his strength.

Tony had fixed that because that was what Tony did. Now, Steve could punch this reinforced bag with all his strength, and nothing would happen. He couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not right now. On the one hand, it was nice to not have to replace the bags all the time. But on the other hand, destroying something would have felt _really_ good right now. 

He sighed and unwrapped his knuckles, the pleasant burn in his muscles already fading as he walked over to the treadmill. What he really would have liked to have done was go for a run, but it was pouring rain outside: clouds had rolled in a few hours earlier, chasing away the sun. Besides, running by himself just wasn’t the same. He missed the way that Sam and Natasha used to run with him, and the easy camaraderie that he had always taken for granted.

So far as he knew, Natasha was still in the wind. No one, not even Laura or Clint, had heard from her since the day she left the compound. Steve climbed on the treadmill and started an easy jog, wondering if maybe Natasha had had the right idea. Leaving everything behind sure sounded tempting right about now. He had no idea where Natasha had ended up, but it had to be less stressful than where they were right now.

Except… Steve made a face as he upped his pace slightly. He didn’t think he could do that. No matter where he was or what disguise he was using, he would always be Captain America and he wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to step up if the world needed him. People like Natasha and Clint didn’t have that problem; they were spies, used to working behind the scenes or taking a backseat until they felt it was their time to strike. That kind of attitude didn’t sit well with Steve, who much preferred getting out in front of a problem and meeting it head-on.

So no, he couldn’t have left even if Natasha had issued him an invitation to come along. And of course, that was a moot point because she hadn’t. Neither had Rhodes. Neither had Sam. Neither had Laura. Neither had Coulson. Steve set his jaw and breathed out slowly, trying to run through the sting of being left behind. Not that he had expected Rhodes to do that, considering how mad Rhodes had been, and Laura and Coulson both had their own issues to deal with, but Sam –

Steve forcibly wrenched his mind away from thoughts of his team, now scattered in the wind, and upped the pace until the treadmill couldn’t go any faster. He lowered his head and focused on nothing other than running, how it felt to have his feet pound against the equipment and the sweat beading up on his forehead and each breath he gulped in, until the burn went from pleasant to painful.

At last, chest heaving, he stopped the machine when it registered that he’d run over ten miles. His legs felt a little weak as he stepped down and grabbed a towel, mopping at his face. That’s when he realized that his phone was ringing. Steve actually paused for a moment, wondering who would be calling, until he thought that maybe it could be Tony or Bucky. He grabbed his phone.

“Hello?” he said breathlessly.

“Steve?” a familiar voice said uncertainly.

“Sam?” Steve said, dumbfounded. Out of all the people who could have been on the other end of that line, Sam was the last person he was expecting.

“Yeah, it’s me. You sound weird,” Sam said.

“I was just jogging,” Steve said, mopping at his face with the towel. At any other time, he might’ve made a quip about how of course Sam wasn’t acquainted with his voice when he was out of breath because he’d usually left Sam in the dust by that point. But he didn’t. 

“Ah, I see,” Sam said quietly. “How, uh, how is everything?”

“It’s…” Steve trailed off, wondering how to best answer that. Wondering if Sam deserved a straight answer, or if it would be better to do what Tony would have done and feed Sam some general platitudes. Did Sam deserve to know when he’d left just like everyone else?

“That bad?” Sam asked.

Steve closed his eyes, realizing that he couldn’t find it in himself to lie to Sam. “Yeah, it’s pretty bad. Natasha’s still in the wind, Tony’s pissed at me, I haven’t seen Bucky in ages, and I’m pretty sure Laura and Clint are getting a divorce. I don’t even know where Clint is right now.” Even though he’d promised Laura he would look after Clint in her stead. Steve pushed that thought away.

“That’s pretty bad, though I can’t say I’m surprised by the fact that Clint and Laura are getting a divorce,” Sam said carefully. “Clint must be taking that pretty hard.”

“I think so,” Steve said, rather than admit that he really had no idea how Clint was taking it. Honestly, Steve thought that this had probably been a long time coming. He had learned a long time ago that you couldn’t have a normal life when you were a superhero. But he’d known better than to say that to Clint.

“So I noticed you omitted yourself from that list,” Sam said.

“I’m fine,” Steve said, and it turned out that he could lie to Sam after all. “Everything is pretty weird, but we’re working through it. We’re the Avengers, right?” He forced some levity into his voice. “At the end of the day, saving the world comes first.”

“I thought Captain America was benched?” 

“I am, but I won’t be for long,” Steve said tightly. 

Sam cleared his throat. “That’s good. Really good. I know how much you love being out in the field.”

“Yeah, I do.” Steve draped his towel around his neck, unwilling to admit that he didn’t know when he’d be an active part of the Avengers again. Coulson was holding firm to his annoying therapy clause, and Dr. Moore kept scheduling sessions with Steve that Steve always found a convenient reason not to attend. He was sure there was a way to get back onto active duty without having to drag himself through the unnecessary drudgery of therapy. He just had to figure it out.

“Is Tony doing okay?” Sam asked. “You said he’s pissed?”

“Like everyone else,” Steve muttered. “It’s – complicated. Clint is still blaming Tony. There’s something wrong with his brain, so I haven’t seen Tony since before you left.” 

“Wait, there’s something wrong with Clint’s brain?” Sam said, sounding concerned.

“Well, there must be if he’s still acting like this,” Steve said shortly, grabbing his water bottle. He took a long, deep drink, hoping that it would help to clear his head.

He wished that Sam was here, but at the same time he was glad that Sam wasn’t. It was a confusing mixture of emotion that Steve wasn’t sure how to deal with. He was frustrated to know that Sam wasn’t someone he could depend on; he’d only stuck around for a few days after Moore arrived before taking off unexpectedly. That wasn’t what members of the Avengers did. They were supposed to stick together.

“Right. Look, Steve. I just – I called –” Sam sighed. “Wow, I didn’t expect this to be so hard.”

“For what to be so hard?” Steve said, wiping his mouth. 

“I’m not planning on coming back to New York,” Sam blurted out.

Steve froze. “What? _Ever_?!”

“I – I don’t know. Maybe not ever, but definitely not for a while. What happened with Wanda really fucked me up, Steve. I felt like I couldn’t trust myself anymore. And you know – I told you I’d been totally ignoring my family for months. My mother was freaking out. The only thing that kept her from filing a missing person’s report was the fact that she’d see me on television once in a while. That’s not right.”

“But you could come back to New York and keep in touch,” Steve argued before he could stop himself. 

“It’s not the same and you know that; when I came back from overseas, I stayed in D.C. and I didn’t go home. I think that was a mistake. And maybe it sounds silly, but I also needed to get away from everything for a while,” Sam said quietly.

“So it was a mistake that we met?” Steve said, hurt and anger mingling into a hard knot in his chest. Because in the back of his head, he’d had an image of what the Avengers could - _would_ \- look like again someday. The Falcon had definitely been a part of that image. 

“No! That’s not what I meant. I’m glad I met you, Steve, even if it ended up in all this. I just – sheesh, I’m saying this all wrong,” Sam said, a hint of grim humor seeping into his voice. “I just meant that I haven’t been in a good frame of mind for a few years now, and I think that made it easier for Wanda to fuck around with my brain.”

“Did Moore make you realize that?” Steve said bitterly.

“She helped me come to the right conclusion, yeah. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Sam’s voice gentled now. “You should meet with her if you haven’t.”

Steve scowled. “Did Coulson tell you to call me?”

“What? No. I haven’t spoken to Coulson in ages. I can just tell that you haven’t met with her by the way you said that.” Sam paused, then added, “I meant it. I know that therapy wasn’t really the done thing in your time, but it can help a lot.”

“Right,” Steve said. “I have to go.”

“Steve, wait –”

But Steve didn’t, and hung up without waiting to hear what else Sam was going to say. He stood there for a moment, fingers clenched so tightly around his phone that it would’ve shattered had Tony not had the forethought to reinforce it to avoid just that. When Sam’s picture flashed across the screen, Steve snarled and threw his phone against the wall so hard it broke into pieces regardless.

Nothing was going the way it was supposed to and Steve was sick of it. He stormed out of the gym, deciding that he was through with hiding away on the Compound. He was going to go to New York and speak to Tony face to face, get everything straightened out, and make his way back onto the team. Once the Avengers were back together, everything would be fine.

“Clint? Clint, where are you?” he called out, making his way back to their suite of rooms. It wouldn’t be right to go without telling Clint first. Steve, at least, had the much courtesy.

But Clint wasn’t around – not in his room, not in the range, not even outside on the track or in the cafeteria. Steve reached automatically for his phone, then realized with a sigh of frustration that he couldn’t call Clint. Sighing in frustration, he headed for the Compound’s security room. It was the easiest way to know if Clint was still there, or to see if he’d left.

Through the use of the Compound’s cameras, Steve did indeed find out just where the elusive archer had gone off to. He also found out just who was with Clint when Clint left the camera’s range, and by extension the Compound’s grounds. And as Steve watched Clint leave with Wanda, eyes wide, a plan began to bubble in the back of his mind…


	2. Chapter 2

"Boss, Xavier is on the phone for you. He says it's urgent."

Tony paused mid-bite of a donut. "Urgent?"

"That doesn't sound good," Bucky said.

"No, it doesn't." Tony sighed and set the donut down, wiping his hands off. It was almost 2am, but in spite of his best efforts he hadn't been able to sleep. Instead, he'd wandered out to the kitchen only to find Bucky sitting at the table with three cartons of donuts from that amazing bakery across town. Tony had no idea how Bucky had gotten them; all he'd cared about was that Bucky was willing to share. Unfortunately, it looked like he wasn't going to get to enjoy anymore.

"You want me to go?" Bucky asked, and Tony shot him a smile but shook his head.

"No. It must be about Maximoff, which means you should probably hear it too. FRI, patch him through."

"Good morning, Tony," Xavier said a moment later. "I apologize for the late-night call."

"No worries. What's up?" Tony said, hoping against hope that Xavier was calling for fun and not because -

"I'm afraid that Wanda is gone."

Damn it. Tony closed his eyes in resignation. "What happened?"

Xavier's frustrated sigh was audible. "Some of the professors here took the children on a field trip. Wanda indicated that she wanted to go along, and I saw no reason to say no to her. She had no thoughts about leaving the mansion. But there was an incident on the trip; we stumbled across a new mutant with unusual powers and in the ensuing confusion, Wanda left."

Bucky scowled. "And you have no idea where she is?"

"I've been searching but I can't find her," Xavier said. Now he sounded troubled.

Tony opened his eyes. "Wait, you can't find her? How is that possible? I thought her powers were still bound!" He snuck a hand beneath his shirt, wrapping his fingers around the pendant that Strange had given him. He literally never took it off, not even to shower. But even though it would protect him against any attempts at brainwashing or mind control, it wouldn't do anything if Maximoff decided to drop a car on top of him or tried to throw him off a building. He might have been comfortably enclosed in the tower, but suddenly Tony didn't feel very safe.

"As far as I know, her powers are still bound. I've seen no signs otherwise," Xavier replied. "But - there are other ways to block people. You're wearing one of them right now."

His fingers tightened around the pendant. "Strange said he only had two of these."

"That doesn't mean more don't exist," Bucky pointed out. "Maximoff is smart, much as I hate to admit it. Maybe she got in touch with someone who knows how to make them, or she bought one somehow."

"She doesn't have any money," Tony muttered, though he realized that he didn't know that for sure. Maximoff had been living off of his dime for months, so Tony, like the rest of the Avengers, had always assumed she had no money. Certainly, Hydra wouldn't have sent her away with any. But Maximoff had also possessed the ability to mentally manipulate people for years, so who was to say that she hadn't stolen and squared away funds? 

Bucky was right. She was smart. Smart enough to focus her thoughts on her hatred for Tony, all things that Xavier and Grey would have expected from her, to hide other thoughts, like a plan. After all, Xavier had admitted that he wasn't reading Maximoff's mind beyond her surface thoughts. Ethically, Tony couldn't really argue with that. Yet a deeper look into Maximoff's brain could've avoided something like this... or maybe it would've happened either way. None of them had really expected Maximoff to spend the rest of her life at the Xavier Institute. Much as she didn't act like it, she was technically an adult and they couldn't hold her there.

"I've reached out to Strange and he's working on tracking her in other ways. I also have my own people working on it, and I've been trying to track her using Cerebro. But in the meantime, I wanted to give you a heads-up," Xavier said.

"Because she'll be coming here," Tony said, swallowing hard. Suddenly the donuts didn't look so appetizing. 

"I believe so, yes. She still wants revenge against you."

Revenge. Tony choked back a bitter laugh. It should've been the other way around. Maximoff had gotten her claws into the cracks in the team and torn them apart. In the process, she had nearly ruined Tony's friendship with Rhodey and had caused irreparable damage to Tony's relationship with Steve. Not to mention, she had sent Clint off the deep-end and Natasha fleeing into the wind. Tony had months of memories where-in all of those people he cared about had mocked, belittled, and outright threatened him. He was working it through it slowly in therapy, but those memories would never disappear.

Yet through it all, Maximoff still believed that Tony was the one who had wronged her. No matter what evidence she was shown to the contrary, she always would. So long as she was out there, Tony would always be in danger. The realization settled into Tony's chest like a cold, hard knot. People had hated him before, had even tried to kill him, but no one was quite like Wanda Maximoff. 

"Thanks for letting us know," Bucky said, watching Tony closely. "Keep us up to date."

"I will. Good night."

The dial tone sounded, and FRIDAY hung up without being prompted; Tony was aware enough to feel a small flash of pride, because that meant his baby girl was learning. She would never be JARVIS, but she was slowly but surely developing into her own entity. He just wished that it was happening at a time when he could afford to give her the attention that she deserved. Instead, he had _this_ mess to deal with. It wasn't fair, but then again when had anything in Tony's life ever been fair?

"I'll have to tell Coulson. FRIDAY, let him know, would you? And Pepper too. Also touch base with Strange, see if he needs anything," Tony said, mind starting to race. Maximoff was no doubt on her way to New York, if she wasn't here already. He hadn't left the tower today, but he knew Pepper had some meetings scheduled for tomorrow. She might not have her powers, but it was only a matter of time until she made her move -

"Hey. You're practically hyperventilating." Bucky's voice, and a hesitant touch to Tony's arm, jerked Tony back to reality, and he remembered that he wasn't alone. He looked up into Bucky's worried eyes.

"I'm fine," Tony said.

Bucky snorted. "I hope you don't expect me to believe that," he said dryly.

“I – ” Tony didn’t know what to say. He looked down at where Bucky was touching him. That was Bucky’s flesh hand, not the metal one, and his skin was so very warm. Unexpectedly, Tony had to swallow a lump in his throat.

“She won’t touch you,” Bucky said quietly, fiercely. “I promise.”

“I wish I could say I believe you,” Tony whispered. 

“Believe it, because I’m going to be sticking to you like glue until that bitch is dealt with. If she wants you, she’s going to have to go through me.” There was a cold glint in Bucky’s eyes that hadn’t been there for a long time. Tony found himself glad that it wasn’t directed at him.

“I’m not going to fight you on that one,” Tony said. Having Bucky around would be more of a comfort than he’d ever allow himself to express out loud. After all, even though Bucky had never really dealt with Maximoff, he knew what Hydra agents were like. That gave them a slight edge.

“Good. Now eat your donut,” Bucky said, removing his hand from Tony’s arm in order to shove the plate closer. Tony instantly missed the contact but found himself smiling as he picked the donut back up and took a bite. 

It was good, but he couldn’t enjoy it the way he had before. His thoughts were too preoccupied with what this meant for both him and the team. The Avengers were finally starting to come back together. He had high hopes for a team comprised of Iron Man, War Machine, Spider-Man, the Wasp, Antman, Agent 13, Vision, and – potentially – the Winter Soldier, with Dr. Strange for back-up where necessary and Coulson for additional oversight. They’d be a good, solid core group.

He wondered if he should tell them about Maximoff. Certainly, Rhodey and Vision would want to know. He wasn’t so sure about Peter, Sharon, Hope or Scott. Maximoff didn’t really concern any of them yet. If only there was a way to deal with her quickly and quietly, before she really became a big deal –

Tony blinked.

“Oh boy. I know that look.” Bucky leaned his chin on his hand. 

“What look?” Tony said, adopting an expression of innocence.

“ _That_ look. It’s the same look you put on when you were building me my new arm,” said Bucky, unconsciously flexing said arm. Tony watched the movement closely and was satisfied to see that it looked smooth. If Bucky had been wearing a long-sleeved shirt, someone who didn’t know would’ve thought that it was a flesh and blood arm.

“I don’t have a look,” Tony lied, raising his eyes up to Bucky’s a beat too late.

“Tony. What are you planning?” 

He contemplated lying for approximately ten seconds before caving. “We as good as know Maximoff is on her way here, right? And she’s going to be going after me. I mean, I’m the one she hates.”

“Yes,” Bucky said slowly, eyebrows furrowed.

“So I was thinking, the biggest problem is that we don’t know when she’s going to attack. That gives her an advantage. But what if we remove that advantage by giving her what she wants?” Tony grew in confidence as he spoke, new details slotting into place.

Bucky watched him warily. “Why do I have the feeling that this involves you being bait?”

“Well, it makes the most sense. Like I said, I’m the one she’s after,” Tony said. “I can’t hide away in the tower and hope that she fucks up and gets caught, Bucky. That’s not me.” Just the thought if doing that made him cringe a little. He had spent the past year not being able to do anything Wanda Maximoff. She’d had her claws so deep into the team that Tony had been helpless against her, and he’d weathered countless insults and smart remarks because of it.

But not anymore. He was done with being a target for her.

“We’ll set a trap. Put on some kind of event. Something public that will make it easy for her to get to, so it can’t be too exclusive… but not so public that people will be in needless danger. She’s never had great impulse control; she won’t be able to resist. I’m sure that Pepper can figure out a legitimate reason for an event so that she won’t think it’s a trap.”

As Tony spoke, Bucky’s face slowly sank into hands. Once Tony was done, Bucky just sat there for a long moment with his face in his hands. Then he groaned, long and low, and ran his hands through his hair as he looked up at Tony.

“I have such a headache right now,” he said.

“Have a donut. The sugar will help,” Tony said, pushing the plate closer.

“I don’t think sugar is going to do anything this time,” Bucky said dryly. “Tony, are you sure this is a good idea? I know you want to take Maximoff down, but –”

“Don’t you see?” Tony interrupted. “Bucky, this is exactly what I’ve been waiting for. We started laying the trap for her after she went on TV and told everyone her sob story. Coulson put out some tidbits for people to find about her past. But this – this is _perfect_. No one will be able to feel bad for her after this. Everyone will see her true colors! She won’t be able to talk her way out of it.” And god, it would be amazing to finally rub that bitch’s face in it after all these years.

“But what if you get hurt?” Bucky said.

Tony waved the concern away. “I won’t. I’ll be fine,” he said dismissively. “Now, FRIDAY, get Pepper on the phone. We have an event to plan!”


	3. Chapter 3

"I don't like this plan."

"Join the club," Bucky muttered.

"It's not that bad, and frankly it's the only plan we have," Tony said, undaunted. 

Rhodey's frown deepened. "We can think up another plan. Any plan that puts you in danger automatically makes it a bad plan," he argued, folding his arms across his chest. "Tony, you can't seriously think I would be okay with this."

"Well... no," Tony mumbled, not meeting Rhodey's eyes. Truth be told, he hadn't really thought about anyone else's reactions. Having smoothed Bucky's objections over, he had fully expected to move forward with the plan without opposition. Sometimes it was still hard to wrap his mind around the fact that Rhodey was back to normal, and that meant he actually cared about Tony again.

"I'm not okay with it either, for the record," said Bruce before Rhodey could reply. "I think it's dangerous."

"But I wouldn't really be in danger," Tony objected. "Coulson and Carter will both be there, and so will Spider-Man, the Wasp, Ant-Man, and Dr. Strange. Plus Bucky. And I'll be wearing the armor. All of that against Maximoff, who doesn't even have her powers? Easy peasy." He smiled to cover the fresh bout of nerves that fizzled through him every time he said Wanda Maximoff's name.

"I hate to say it, but I think I agree with Tony," said Coulson.

"Coulson!" Rhodey exclaimed in betrayal.

Coulson sighed. "It makes the most sense. Maximoff is too smart to come out in the open without some kind of draw. There's nothing else she wants badly enough to risk it all."

"See? I'm getting the Coulson seal of approval," Tony said with a bravado he didn't feel. 

Bruce didn't look convinced. "Just because she doesn't have her powers doesn't mean she isn't dangerous, guys. In fact, sometimes people who are backed into a corner are even _more_ dangerous because of that. All of us might be there, but all it would take is one lucky shot. Are you sure you want to take that risk?"

"I'm sure I don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering if Maximoff is going to come up behind me in a dark alley," Tony replied, which wasn't really a response to Bruce's question. 

Because honestly no, Tony didn't want to take that risk. But he also knew that Maximoff was not the sort of person to quietly fade away into obscurity. Everything she did was flashy and designed to grab as much attention as she could get her greedy little hands on. And if there was one word to describe Wanda Maximoff, it was stubborn. She had spent the past several years believing that Tony had killed her parents and nothing and no one could dissuade her from that belief. She wasn't going to give up until she got her revenge or died trying.

He clenched his hand into a fist and forced a smile, unwilling to bring the latter option up even though he suspected they all knew it was on the table. Tony wasn't sure he'd be able to bring himself to kill her - it wouldn't look good unless he could prove that he'd had no other choice - but someone like Bucky or Rhodey wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in Maximoff's head. Hell, even the Hulk might make a reappearance if her presence enraged Bruce badly enough. 

"We may not have the luxury of choice," Coulson interjected, rubbing his temples like he had a headache. "If word got out that Maximoff has escaped from our custody, it wouldn't look very good."

"Why not? She said it herself. She's an adult and we can't really stop her," Rhodey pointed out. "Especially while her powers were bound..."

"Technically, she doesn't have legal permission to be on American soil. She's here because she was an Avenger. Now that she's been benched from the team, her position at Xavier's school was saving her from being deported. Now that she's voluntarily left the school, she could be arrested and detained for that reason alone," said Coulson.

"You didn't tell me that," Tony said with surprise, though he supposed he should've put two and two together himself. Of course Hydra hadn't bothered with a little thing like a legal visa when they brought Maximoff and her brother to the U.S. 

"I was keeping the information close to the vest for the appropriate time. I didn't want Maximoff aware that it was something else we had over her. Now, if we can get a hold of her, we can at least have her arrested on those grounds," Coulson said. He met Tony's eyes, and Tony didn't have to be a genius to know what Coulson was thinking.

Right after Maximoff's interview, Coulson had taken matters into his own hands and a laid a trail of breadcrumbs for an enterprising journalist to pick up on. If followed properly, those breadcrumbs would leave to numerous torrid details about Maximoff's time with Hydra. So far no one had picked up on them, but Tony knew that it was only a matter of time before someone figured it out. And when that happened, the shit was going to hit the fan. Maximoff was going to have so many warrants out for her arrest that she wouldn't know what to do with herself.

"I just - I don't like it," Rhodey said, sighing.

"I don't like it either, but I can see the value in it," Bucky said reluctantly.

"I assume you're planning to take all the proper precautionary measures," Bruce said to Coulson.

"I've already been working on it," Tony said. "FRIDAY's been helping and so has Bucky. Between us and Stark Industries' security, we'll have the whole venue covered." 

"I'll look over your plans. I can make some suggestions for improvements," said Coulson.

"I figured you'd want to." Tony tossed him a thumb drive, which Coulson caught and slipped into his pocket.

"How did Pepper feel about this?" Bruce asked, turning to Tony.

"She wasn't happy, but she understood," Tony said, which was an understatement. It had taken him close to an hour to calm Pepper down after he'd admitted what he was planning. She had been completely furious, first at the news that Maximoff was in the wind and secondly at Tony for coming up with such a "stupid, half-assed, dangerous, idiotic plan". He'd done a lot of fast talking, but eventually she had succumbed to reason and agreed to fast track an event.

In less than a week, Tony Stark would be standing on-stage holding a press conference about the newest Starkphone.

"Maybe I'll see if she needs any help," Bruce muttered. He stood and left, shortly followed by Coulson and, after a significant glance at Tony, Bucky. That left Tony and Rhodey alone.

Tony turned to face his best friend with apprehension. “Rhodey…”

“I hate it,” Rhodey said before Tony could get another word out. “I hate the thought of you being anywhere near that bitch. I know that supposedly she doesn’t have her powers, but what if she fucks with your head again?”

“She can’t. I’ll be wearing my pendant at all time,” Tony said, touching his chest where the comforting weight of his pendant lay. He hadn’t yet figured out how he was going to re-pay Strange for that, but whatever it was the reward would be enormous.

Rhodey didn’t say anything for a moment, his expression conflicted.

“Rhodey?” Tony said, hating how his voice came out so small. But he didn’t understand.

“What if –” Rhodey paused, then forced the words out. “What if she takes control of _my_ head again and I start hating you?”

Oh. Tony instantly stepped forward, pulling him into a hug. Rhodey’s hugs were the best hugs, and today Tony hoped that he was giving Rhodey a fraction of the comfort that Rhodey had given him over the years. He felt stupid for not having considered that Rhodey and probably Bruce and maybe even Bucky would all have the same fear. He needed to follow up with Strange about more of the pendants immediately.

Because if somehow, miraculously, Maximoff _had_ gotten her powers back…

“I would kill her before I let that happen,” Tony said, hating the thin tremble that was running through Rhodey’s body. “I mean it. I’d put a repulsor blast right through her head.”

“Maximoff is smart enough not to give you the chance,” Rhodey muttered. “She ran circles around all of us for months with no one the wiser. It was sheer coincidence that Rogers got smacked on the head and that snapped him out of it. Her power is so… so _creepy_. She can have you under her control before you even know what’s going on. I can’t shake the thought that I might not even know it’s happening.”

“How about this? The instant you insult me, I’ll hit you upside the head with a chunk of concrete,” Tony promised solemnly, and was rewarded with a shaky laugh.

But it was still a laugh, and when Rhodey pulled back he had a small smile on his face. “I’m going to hold you to that,” he said.

Tony gave him a salute. “You can even pick out the chunk of concrete you want me to carry with me, just in case.”

“You’re all heart,” Rhodey said dryly, but his expression was lighter now and Tony took that as a good sign. He let himself smile and pulled Rhodey into another hug, already thinking about his schedule. It was packed for the next couple of days, but he was going to have to squeeze in a few minutes for a conversation with Strange.

\--

Something about New York felt different, even though on the surface everything was the same. Maybe it was the fact that he was now a single man, a divorced man. Or maybe it was the fact that the last time he’d been there, he was a hero. Now he was nothing. The realization made Clint uncomfortable enough that he dumped his too-sweet drink in the trash.

“Didn’t like it?” Wanda asked, looking up at him. She was also nursing a sugary drink, but seemed much happier with it.

“No. Not to my taste,” Clint said shortly, keeping his head down. He had insisted that both he and Wanda wear baseball caps and shades, hoping to avoid anyone recognizing them. Luckily, the Scarlet Witch and Hawkeye had never been the most recognizeable Avengers. They couldn’t risk drawing too much attention.

Wanda hummed and ducked her head, staring fixedly at the newspapers that the stall on the street was selling. They didn’t have a phone – Clint had left his back at the Compound, because it wasn’t like anyone was going to be calling him and it was a way for them to be tracked – so they were resorting to getting their information the old-fashioned way. He spared a moment of longing for the Compound.

No, not even that. What he really wanted was to go back to the farm. He wanted to practice shooting bows with Lila. He wanted to finish mending the fence with Cooper. He wanted to wake up in bed with Laura, or have to get up at 2am to go feed Nathaniel. Knowing that he would never have those things again hurt unbearably, and it was all –

“Look!” Wanda said, grabbing Clint’s arm.

He, along with many people around them, looked.

On one of the many enormous screens high above Times Square, Pepper Potts was delivering a quick announcement about an upcoming press release. Wanda’s eyes gleamed as Pepper confirmed that Tony Stark would be in attendance and that he’d be giving details about the next S.I. product. It was perfect timing.

Too perfect?

“This is it,” Wanda breathed, clapping her hands. “We’re gonna get him once and for all, Clint!”

Her enthusiasm was infectious and Clint found himself smiling. It would feel really good to give Stark what had been coming to him for a long time. Somehow Stark had come through all of this untouched, while Clint had lost everything. Tony Stark deserved to get his comeuppance after all these years, and all of the things he had done and all of the people he had hurt.

“We need to find out more about the event,” he said. “We need to take this slowly, Wanda. I bet Stark will have a ton of security there. There’s no way we’ll be able to just walk up and attack him, and we’re only going to get one shot at this.”

“Right,” Wanda said with a nod. “I trust you.”

The way she looked at him, wide eyed and waiting for his guidance, touched a place in his heart previously occupied only by his kids. It was a good feeling, but it was bittersweet at the same time. He thought again about his family and set his jaw. Someone needed to pay for his loss.

He said, “Then let’s go.”


	4. Chapter 4

When she left the Compound, Natasha did not have a specific destination in mind. What she had said to Steve wasn’t a lie: she had put a lot of work into creating new identities and sourcing out potential safehouses after SHIELD fell, and all of that work was now useless because of Wanda Maximoff. It couldn’t really be considered a “new” identity or safehouse if one person had all your secrets in their back pocket.

So instead of fleeing to Russia or Japan or China, the way she would have before, Natasha went north. Less than twelve hours after Natasha Romanov left the Compound, a brown-eyed brunette by the name of Sally Walter was crossing the border into Canada. She was wearing an oversized blue sweatshirt, blue jeans, and black glasses, and the border crossing guards barely gave her passport a second look.

Natasha had precious few contacts left after everything – she didn’t want to admit it, but the decision to throw all of SHIELD’s files on the internet had burned more than a few bridges behind her – but she did manage to hook up with another Black Widow. It took calling in the last of her favors, but she ended up with money, a new identity, and a trip out west. She took it and ran.

So it was Brenda Anderson who arrived in Alberta, with newly shorn blond hair and blue eyes. She found a small town, rented a room, and squatted there for a few weeks just trying to get her head back on straight: a task that was proving to be easier said than done.

Because it wasn’t hard to pinpoint the moments when Wanda’s magic had overshadowed her thoughts or better judgment. In fact, with a clear head that was free of any lingering effects of magic, it was appallingly easy to see how Wanda’s influence had gradually deepened. No, what was hard was admitting to herself that Natasha hadn’t seen it happening. 

And if she were being kind to herself, she could have said that it was because Wanda was just that good. But Natasha didn’t think that was the case. At heart, Wanda Maximoff was a crude, spoiled little brat who lacked any sort of finesse with her magic. She might have exerted more influence on people like Rhodes, but Natasha’s feelings towards Tony Stark had never been as un-biased as she would have once claimed. She had only to look at her initial file for that.

_Iron Man yes, Tony Stark not recommended._

Natasha had written those damning words which had set the stage for all of Tony’s interactions with the Avengers, thinking that it was something Fury would be able to use to manipulate Tony. And Fury had done just that for a time, until the Avengers stopped being something that could be held over Tony’s head and started being something that Tony had nightmares about.

She grimaced. The truth was, she had believed her own file. Maybe not all the way, but there was definitely a part of her that had thought Tony Stark was not worthy of the Avengers. A part that believed the hype surrounding him. A part that had fallen for the mask. That was the part that Wanda had capitalized on. That was the part that Natasha struggled to come terms with now. Being faced with your own hubris was never easy, and Natasha Romanov had been more arrogant than most.

In between her days of self-reflecting, she monitored the situation back in New York as best she could. She was aware of the deteriorating situation between Tony and Steve but knew there was nothing she could do to fix it even if she wanted to. Frankly, she didn’t. Steve had dug his own bed in that respect: he’d had the chance to tell Tony the truth about his parents but hadn’t because he’d been so convinced that Tony wouldn’t be able to see reason. He, like the rest of them, like Natasha, had underestimated Tony Stark.

It was not a mistake Natasha planned to make again.

And so, when she returned to the room early one morning with groceries and found a familiar face waiting for her, Natasha knew that the time had come when she had to make a choice. She could keep running and spend the remainder of her days on the move, never stopping for fear that the past would catch up with her, or –

“Good morning, Agent Romanov. You’re not nearly as good at hiding as your file would have me believe,” Sharon Carter said.

Natasha didn’t allow herself to rise to the insult, instead meeting Carter’s knowing eyes with a cool gaze. “I wasn’t aware that I had anyone to hide from,” she replied. “I left New York because I needed space and time to think. I didn’t think anyone would have issue with me taking that.”

“Sure you weren’t just running away?” Carter asked with a smirk and a taunting tone that made Natasha’s hackles rise. 

“Why are you here, Carter?” Natasha said, setting her bag down. 

“Coulson sent me.”

“Coulson sent you,” Natasha echoed, not sure if she believed that. Finding out that Coulson was alive had been amazing: finding out that he had lied to them all and let them believe he was dead was something else. That was another reason why Natasha had left. Being around Coulson after she had mourned the man was too hard.

Yet it seemed like Coulson wasn’t so willing to let her go. That was just like him. She couldn’t decide whether that made her angry or resigned. For as long as she and Clint had been SHIELD agents, Coulson had been directing their every move. It figured that he still felt he had the right to do so even now, when technically Natasha was no longer an agent.

“Something’s happened,” Carter admitted, dropping her antagonistic attitude, and Natasha looked at her sharply.

“What did Wanda do now?” she said, resigned.

“She’s vanished from the Xavier Institute. No one is sure where she is, but Stark thinks that she’s on her way to New York to attack him,” said Carter.

Natasha nodded. “He’s right about that.” There was no doubt in her mind that was exactly what Wanda was doing. 

“So he’s decided to have an event and use himself as bait,” Carter continued.

“He’s _what_?!” Natasha exclaimed. She didn’t mean to lose her composure, but she couldn’t help it. “Oh my god, of all the _stupid_ plans –”

“That’s what Coulson said, but he also said that drawing Wanda out of hiding into a controlled environment is the best bet we have to take her down once and for all. A public spectacle will remove the last chance Wanda has and erase any lingering doubt that Stark is in the wrong,” Carter said. 

Natasha nodded slowly. “I can see the reasoning behind it, but –” She shook her head, a cold knot in the pit of her stomach. It was just like Tony to use himself as bait, but she couldn’t help wondering if part of the reason that Tony was doing it was because Tony believed he was the most dispensable out of all of them.

Had they driven him to that?

“It’s dangerous,” Carter said in a matter-of-fact way. “That’s why I’m here. Coulson wants you to be part of Stark’s security detail.”

“What about the other Avengers?” Natasha said. Not Clint or Steve or Sam, but she had heard rumblings that Tony was taking on new members. She was pretty sure that Carter was one of them.

“They’ll be there, but they’re not used to this sort of thing. People like you and me know what to look for,” said Carter, which was true enough that Natasha couldn’t argue with it. It did take a certain set of skills to be able to properly assess a room. Barnes would be more than capable of it, and she assumed that he’d be stuck to Tony’s side like glue during the event, but the others not so much.

“What about Clint?” Natasha asked finally.

“What about him?”

“Has anyone contacted him?” Natasha said.

Carter frowned. “Not to my knowledge. Coulson didn’t mention it. I don’t know the full story, but I got the feeling that there was some friction between him and Stark.”

“So no one has talked to Clint? Or Steve?” Natasha said. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach. Against her will, she remembered how adamant that Clint had been that Wanda was innocent and that Tony was the true perpetrator. That was the other part of the reason why Natasha had left: she didn’t think she could stand to be around Clint and listen to him spout off such nonsense without wanting to slam his head into another railing.

Wanda would struggle all by herself. She’d never been alone before. First there had been her brother, then Hydra, then the Avengers. She had the ‘woe is me’ act down to a science by now and had zero qualms about pulling it out when she wanted something. Most of the time the guys on the team gave in without blinking, and Natasha was pretty sure that Wanda didn’t even need her powers to make that happen. She was a good actress.

But right now she didn’t even have her powers, which means that if she wanted help she’d have to go to the people were naturally susceptible to her. Steve was out. He might have been acting like a dick, but he was also super pissed off at Wanda. Sam wasn’t even in the same state right now. Rhodes would probably repulsor blast Wanda in the face before Wanda got within a hundred yards. 

All of that left Clint, who was the natural target. He was mad at Tony, he believed in Wanda and couldn’t accept the truth about her, and he was an experienced assassin. Natasha’s stomach did a flip flop as she realized that this situation might be even worse than Coulson or the others realized. 

“How did you get here?” she demanded, turning to Carter.

“Stark let me borrow his jet,” said Carter, which gave Natasha momentary pause. She was positive that Tony would be angry at her too. But maybe Steve hadn’t told him that she had known as well. 

“We need to get back to New York,” she said, striding over to her nightstand. There wasn’t much in it, just her fake passport and some cash and a burner phone. Natasha grabbed the phone and dialed Clint’s last known number. She ground her teeth together when no one answered. Either he’d dumped his phone, or he wasn’t answering anyone’s calls. She figured it was the former. If Clint was with Wanda, he’d be smart enough to know that a cell phone was an easy way to be tracked. 

“What’s going on?” Carter asked.

“I need to talk to Coulson,” Natasha said, thrusting a hand out. “Tony’s life might depend on it.”

“Fine,” Carter said, taking her own phone out and dumping it into Natasha’s hand. It was standard SHIELD-issue, which meant there was an override code. Natasha entered it, scrolled to Coulson’s contact, and called.

Coulson answered promptly, saying, “Carter, what’s your status on Romanov?”

Her throat tightened when she heard his voice. Natasha inhaled quickly, the only reaction she would allow herself, and said, “It’s me.”

“Natasha,” Coulson said, his voice softening just a little. 

“I think we have a problem,” Natasha said, keeping her voice steady with effort. “I think Clint might be with Wanda.”

There was a pause during which she assumed that Coulson’s mind was traversing the same path that her own had taken.

Then Coulson swore. “Fuck.”

“You need to get someone out to the Compound immediately,” Natasha told him. “If he’s not there, then he’s definitely with Wanda.” There was no way Clint would have gone home. Laura had made her feelings about the situation too clear about that.

“And you?” Coulson said. It sounded like he was moving.

“Carter and I are going to take the jet back,” Natasha said. She didn’t say it, but she privately thought that this might be the chance for redemption that she had been hoping for. Tony might hate her once he found out she’d known about his parents too, but if she could help to save his life and take Wanda down then he couldn’t be too angry at her.

Or at least, she hoped not.


	5. Chapter 5

“I have some bad news.”

“Oh god,” Bucky said, absolutely despairing of what was going to come next. Beside him, Tony snorted and patted Bucky’s knee before standing up. He was moving slowly, though Bucky was pretty sure he was the only one who noticed. Tony wouldn’t admit it, but his back had been acting up lately.

“What’s up?” Tony asked. 

“Clint is with Maximoff,” Coulson said grimly, and Tony froze.

“How do you know?” Bucky asked, getting to his feet. 

Coulson’s eyes flicked quickly to Tony. “I reached out to Natasha. She was the one who suggested that Maximoff might reach out to Clint. So I looked up the footage from the Compound and found this.” He handed his tablet to Tony. Bucky stepped closer, peering over Tony’s shoulder.

They watched the encounter between Clint Barton and Wanda Maximoff in silence. Their position had been chosen well, too far away from any of the cameras for audio to be picked up, but really that wasn’t necessary. Bucky’s stomach twisted with disgust as he watched Barton pull Maximoff into a hug, cradling her like she was a child. He had no idea how Barton could stand to touch her.

“Great,” Tony said heavily, locking the tablet and passing it back. “So Clint is with her. That means we’re going to have to tighten security in the surrounding buildings.”

Coulson nodded. “Natasha and Sharon should be back by this evening. I’m going to provide them with blueprints of the surrounding buildings. Natasha knows Clint best, so she’ll be able to pick out the spots that he would naturally gravitate towards. But…”

“But?” Tony repeated.

This time, Coulson glanced at Bucky. “We have evidence that someone from the Compound looked at this video.”

“You mean Steve,” Bucky said, knowing that he was right even before Coulson gave a small nod to confirm. 

“We think so. There’s no one else at the Compound who would have any reason to be looking at this. And frankly, anyone else who viewed this would have reported it,” Coulson said quietly.

Bucky pulled back, walking across the room and staring out the window. More and more lately, he just didn’t know who Steve was anymore. That scruffy, fresh-faced kid from Brooklyn seemed to have disappeared completely, and he wasn’t sure of the man that had been left behind. The Steve that Bucky had known _never_ would have kept that secret from Tony. He would’ve been upfront, possibly blunt or even tactless, but it would’ve been Tony’s choice to decide what to do with that information.

“What do you think Steve’s plan is?” Tony said to Coulson, who sighed.

“Honestly? I’ve been receiving regular reports from Dr. Moore. Clint has been meeting with her on a regular basis, though she hasn’t made any progress with him. Steve, on the other hand, refused to meet with her. He’s consistently cancelled or skipped every appointment they’ve made.”

“But I thought he was fine with therapy,” Tony said.

Bucky turned around. “Yeah, no,” he said, and both Tony and Coulson looked at him. “When we grew up, therapy wasn’t something that anyone did. It was seen as a huge weakness. Men were just supposed to be fine no matter what. I think Steve would still see it that way.”

Tony frowned. “You don’t.”

“I’m a bit different,” Bucky said gently. Hydra had fucked with his mind so much that Bucky had welcomed whatever help he could get. Steve, on the other hand, had never really had to grasp how messed you could get.

“So what, you think…” Tony blew out a breath and chuckled humorlessly. “Oh, I know where this is going. Captain America thinks this is his shining opportunity to save the day, doesn’t he? He wants to be the one who stops Maximoff and Barton. That’s why he didn’t say anything. That way, he’s the hero and that would be enough to pave his way back onto the Avengers. Even though he’s the one who benched himself in the first place.”

“That’s exactly it,” Bucky whispered, knowing that Tony was right. He believed that Steve had benched himself with the best of intentions – because Steve had realized, even if just for a moment, that he wasn’t safe out on the field.

But there was a _huge_ difference between knowing that and doing something about it. Opening yourself up to others and working on yourself was terrifying. Bucky could testify to that. It was so much easier to sweep it all under the rug and pretend that moment had been a split second weakness, and that the truth of it all was that you were fine. He knew without a doubt that that was where Steve was right now.

“Yes,” Coulson said. “So now we have to account for any possible wrenches that he might throw into the plan. Natasha has already given me some ideas, but I was hoping that the two of you might be able to help too.”

Bucky sighed. “I wish I could help, but I don’t even know Steve anymore,” he said regretfully. He would’ve been able to talk some sense into the Stevie he had known, but that hadn’t been the case for more than seventy-five years. 

“I’m somewhat familiar with the way he thinks. Let me look at the plans,” Tony said stiffly. 

“Are you sure there’s time to change things? The event is happening tomorrow,” said Bucky.

“The changes will be minimal,” Coulson said in what was clearly an attempt to be reassuring, but it did very little to soothe Bucky’s nerves. He watched the two of them leave, but stopped himself from following. At this point, his presence would only hinder their progress and that was the last thing they needed.

He was on edge for the remainder of the night, and couldn’t bring himself to sleep. Instead, he restlessly patrolled through the tower and stopped several times outside of Tony’s doors. If he listened closely enough, he could hear the faint murmur of Tony’s voice through the doors. That was a comforting sound, if only because it meant that Tony was still alive to speak.

It was a somber group that gathered the next morning. Tony was dressed to the nines in a brand new black suit with a white shirt, red tie, and red sunglasses. Bucky was uncomfortable in the suit that had been provided to him: slate grey, with a pale blue shirt and a darker blue tie, but he liked the appreciative look that Tony gave him when he first walked into the kitchen.

“You ready for this?” Rhodes asked Tony. He was wearing his formal military dress and acting in his official capacity as the liason between the military and Stark Industries. It was as good of an excuse as any to get Rhodes in there with Tony. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Tony said with a forced smile.

“Be careful, Tony,” Bruce pleaded.

“Don’t worry, Brucie Bear. I’m good,” Tony said, giving his friend a gentle pat on the shoulder. Bucky could tell that things were still a little tense between Tony and Bruce, but they were slowly improving. The last thing they needed today was for the Hulk to make an appearance, which was why Bruce would be remaining behind. 

“We’ll bring him back safe,” Bucky spoke up. Bruce looked at him, eyes searching Bucky’s face, before he nodded in acceptance of that statement.

“Hey,” Tony complained light-heartedly. “I can take care of myself, you know.”

Bucky, Rhodes and Bruce all exchanged skeptical looks.

Tony put his hands on his hips. “I’m not blind, you know. I can _see_ you.”

“Right, of course you can, Tones,” Rhodes said, while subtly shaking his head at Bucky and Bruce.

“I hate you all,” Tony said, throwing his hands in the air and stalking out.

“You two better go after him. You have no idea when Maximoff and Barton will make their move,” Bruce said.

Bucky obeyed, quickly catching up with Tony. For the purposes of the day, he was acting as Tony’s bodyguard. Sharon Carter and Natasha were both posing as journalists, and Peter Parker was going to be there as a Stark Industires intern. Hope van Dyne was also attending as a guest, with Scott Lang as her guest; Dr. Strange had also received an invite under the same guise. Lastly, Coulson and several SHIELD agents would be amongst the crowd too. They had packed in as many allies as possible.

Yet still, Bucky was unsettled and he could tell that Tony and Rhodes were similarly afflicted. All of them were quiet on the drive. When they got to the building, Rhodes climbed out of the car first. Bucky caught Tony’s arm when Tony moved to follow. Tony stilled, turning a questioning gaze on Bucky. There was a split second pause that felt weighted with all the things left unsaid.

“Don’t do anything stupid tonight,” Bucky said at last.

“I feel like I should be offended that all of you think I’m going to do something stupid,” Tony muttered.

“Tony, I’m being serious.”

Tony sighed. “I have taken every possible precaution, okay? Do you really think I would be here if I thought there was literally any other way to handle this?”

“No,” Bucky admitted. 

“Taken Maximoff down is too important for any of us to mess up,” Tony said gently. “It has to be done and this is the best way to do it whether we like it or not. I can’t handle having her out there anymore, never knowing when she’s going to strike. It’s better this way.”

“I hate it when you’re right,” Bucky said, sighing.

“Get used to it, Buttercup.” Tony gave him a faint smirk.

“Are you two done?” Rhodes asked, sticking his head back in the car. 

“Press tired of you already?” Tony asked.

“Shut up and get out here,” Rhodes said.

Tony smirked again but slid across the seat and stepped outside. Bucky followed, nearly flinching back inside when hundreds of cameras started going off. The flashing lights and shouting voices were overwhelming, and he had to fight against the instinct to hide. He had to remind himself that Tony was the important thing here. 

“Mr. Stark, what can you tell us about the new tablet?” someone shouted.

“It’s going to blow your minds,” Tony said, pushing up his sunglasses to give a cocky wink. He strutted up the carpet with Bucky and Rhodes hot on his heels.

They entered through the front doors; the security presence there helped to keep the worst of the press out. Pepper was waiting for them, and she immediately descended upon Tony. Happy and Rhodes followed as Pepper led Tony away. Bucky didn’t, instead choosing to go into the room where the announcement was going to be held.

It was a large, circular room with a second level, which meant balconies. Bucky prowled around the edges of it, trying to figure out where the best places for Maximoff or Barton would be. Of course, for a marksman of Barton’s caliber, he wouldn’t need an “easy” shot. That meant there were three times as many places that Maximoff and Barton could be hiding.

He spent a solid forty-five minutes mapping the room until he’d be able to operate with his eyes shut. Only then did he make his way down to where Tony was. Tony didn’t even notice his presence. His head was bowed against Pepper’s and the two of them were having a ferocious, whispered argument over a particular bit of wording in Tony’s speech. Watching them, Bucky felt a surge of affection.

This guy was _such_ a dork, but he was also a great man. He had taken Bucky and fixed his arm when most people would have freaked out. Tony didn’t have to do that – certainly, no one would’ve judged him if he had – but he’d done it without a second thought. That was just the way he was. And a person like that was precious and deserved to be protected.

No matter what, Bucky was going to make sure Tony came out of this safety.


	6. Chapter 6

Clint breathed shallowly as he peered through the scope. He was totally in his element as he adjusted everything by a couple of degrees – just enough so that it was set up for a perfect head shot. The room he and Wanda had rented with a stolen credit card was at just the right angle: he would barely have to try. Add in a calm, clear day and you really couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

So why was his stomach twisting itself up in knots?

“Is it good?” Wanda asked, and Clint startled. That gave her the opportunity to weasel her way in past him. She thrust her eye against the scope and let out a squeal. His heart jumped and he was reminded all over again of the fact that Wanda was not trained for this.

“Shh!” he hissed at her. “You’re going to get us caught!” He picked up his binoculars and took another quick glance at the security down below to make sure that no one had been alerted to their presence.

Maybe that was why he was feeling so off. Clearly, Stark and everyone else knew that he and Wanda were here. That was the only reason there would be _that_ many security people milling around what was an otherwise run-of-the-mill Stark Industries announcement. Clint was almost positive at this point that Stark had set them up. This announcement was bait, and he and Wanda had fallen for it hook, line and sinker.

“Oh please. Stark isn’t smart enough for that,” Wanda said with a scoff. “I can’t believe I’m finally going to have my revenge. In just a matter of minutes, Tony Stark will be dead!” She clapped her hands together with childish glee. Clint watched her with a scowl.

At first he had found her enthusiasm endearing. But now he looked at her face and wondered if she even realized what they were about to do – what _Clint_ was about to do. He didn’t think that Wanda had ever killed someone before. He wasn’t sure she really understood what it meant. That was one of the reasons why he’d insisted that he be the one to pull the trigger, but now he was having second thoughts.

Wanda turned to him and her smile vanished. They stared at each other for a moment. Then Wanda smiled at him, a familiar, comforting smile, and reached out to lay her hand on his arm. 

“Don’t forget,” she said softly, “You’re finally getting your revenge on Stark too, Clint. He took your family from you, remember. Everything that happened with Laura and the kids was all _his fault_. Life was perfect until Tony Stark showed up, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Clint said heavily, feeling a renewed swell of hatred for the man. Clint had lost everything. It wasn’t fair. He didn’t deserve this.

“Maybe once Stark is out of the picture, you can talk to Laura again,” Wanda suggested. “You might be able to work things out.”

“Maybe,” Clint murmured. He wanted that; he wanted to go home. But what had seemed like a good, solid way to make that happen was now filling him with doubt. He would be a suspect in Stark’s murder. They might never find evidence, but people had been convicted on less than that. Worst case scenario he either ended up in jail or had to go on the run.

He just wanted to go home…

Wanda leaned forward until their faces were mere inches apart and coyly batted her eyes. “Or maybe… you don’t need her.”

“What?” Clint looked at her, blinking, and recoiled when he realized how close they were.

Wanda tightened her grip on his arm to prevent him from moving away too far. “Come on, Clint. We could run away together. You don’t need Laura. She sided with Stark.” The disgust in her voice was blatant. “She dropped you like you were nothing and took off. You deserve so much better than that.”

“You… you want me to run away. With you,” Clint said in total disbelief.

“What else did you think would happen?” Wanda asked, tilting her head to the side. Her long, dark hair slipped off her shoulders, revealing plenty of bared skin and drawing attention to her chest. He realized for the first time that she was wearing a very low-cut top that showed off a lot of cleavage. It was exactly the kind of shirt that he had always dreaded Lila trying to wear. Seeing Wanda in it was –

“Knock it off. You’re like my kid,” Clint said sharply, shaking her arm off.

Wanda’s eyes flashed. “I’m not a child. I’m twenty-two!” She squared her shoulders, thrusting her breasts out. “I’m a _woman_. A woman you would be lucky to have. I would never side with your enemies like that slut you call a wife!”

Clint slapped her.

He didn’t even think. It was an automatic reaction.

“Don’t you _dare_ talk about Laura like that!” he snarled in her face, enraged. Laura was far from perfect, but she was an amazing woman who had put up with Clint’s bullshit for years. Honestly, between Clint and Coulson, it was a wonder that Laura hadn’t taken the children and made a run for it ages ago. No one would have blamed her if she had.

“You hit me!” Wanda cried, pressing one hand to her cheek. “How could you?” She shrank back from him like she was afraid, and Clint realized that he didn’t even care.

So he ignored her, looking around the small room. Suddenly, he didn’t know what he was doing here. Killing Stark, as wonderful as that would feel, was not going to make Laura come back to him. If anything, it would only push Laura further away. Because killing Stark, he realized, would be the one thing that would guarantee Laura _never_ came back.

“I can’t do this,” he said, reaching for the gun. He’d dismantle it and head out on his own. He could be in the wind before anyone down below even knew what was happening.

“What are you doing?!” Wanda grabbed his arm again.

“Wanda, this is crazy! We can’t do this!” Clint hissed.

“You hate Stark! Don’t you want revenge?” she demanded.

“Of course I do! But this isn’t the way to get it!” Clint said, grunting with effort. He finally yanked his arm free and shoved her backwards hard enough that she hit the wall. He turned away to start dismantling the gun.

That was a mistake. Wanda jumped on him with a shriek and hit him over the head with something. Clint staggered and went down hard. Somewhere behind him, he heard the door slam over and voices shouting. Wanda was yelling back. She stepped over him. There was the sound of a gunshot.

Clint felt it when the body hit the floor.

Natasha appeared over him moments later, looking beautifully deadly. Her hair was cut short and dyed blonde, but it was definitely her. She surveyed him for a few seconds, her lips pursed, before she holstered her gun and held out her hand. Clint took it. The world swayed when she hauled him up, and he would’ve pitched right over onto his face had she not caught him around the waist. He lifted his head.

“I said stay where you are,” Sharon said sharply, keeping her gun trained on Wanda. Clint blinked at them, taking in the way Wanda was clutching her shoulder and the blood seeping around her fingers. She’d been shot, he realized dimly, and fallen to the floor.

Coulson pushed past Sharon to get to Clint and Natasha. He looked at Clint and said, “You’ve fucked up big time.”

And Clint could only look at Wanda, who was bawling, and at Natasha, whose hard expression could’ve been carved from stone, and nod. “I’m starting to get that.”

\---

“Going somewhere?”

Steve stopped, astonished.

Standing about three feet ahead of him, leaning against the wall as casually as though he belonged there, was Bucky. And he looked _good_ , dressed in an expensive suit that could only have come from Tony. It fit Bucky to a T, revealing that he had filled out some over the past few weeks. He looked fit and healthy and so much like the Bucky that Steve remembered that it was all Steve could do to keep it together.

This was fate.

“Buck, we have a mission,” Steve said with relish. He couldn’t have asked for a better set-up. Now he and Bucky could stop Wanda and Clint together. Bucky would remember what it was like for them to work as a smoothly oiled team, and then Steve would have Tony’s gratitude and forgiveness, and then they’d all be Avengers again!

But Bucky sighed and shook his head. “It’s too late, Steve. We’ve already got Barton and Maximoff.”

“What?” Steve said, shocked.

“They’re both in custody,” Bucky said softly, a total contrast to the hard look in his eyes. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“What do you mean?” Steve said.

Bucky pushed off the wall and crossed his arms. “You knew about them and what they planned to do, didn’t you? That’s why you’re here.”

“I – I was here to help.” Steve glanced past him at the building. He couldn’t believe Wanda and Clint had gotten captured already! What had happened to his moment of glory?

“You weren’t helping. They could’ve killed Tony,” Bucky snapped. “The moment you knew what was going on, you should have picked up the damn phone and called someone. And don’t even try to say that Tony didn’t want to talk to you. You could’ve called me or Coulson or Pepper or fuck, _anyone_ else and we all would’ve listened. So I repeat, what the hell were you thinking?” 

Steve shook his head in denial. “Tony was never in any danger.”

“You don’t know that. Anything could have gone wrong. Tony could’ve been killed, or someone else could’ve gotten caught in the crossfire. You know how unstable Maximoff is right now. How could you play with someone’s life like that?”

Each word felt like a slap to the face. This was not how Steve had pictured this going at all. 

“I just wanted to help,” he said weakly. The plan had sounded so good. So solid. Captain America would show up to save the day. He’d never once stopped to think that someone else might get there first. 

“This is the second time, Steve,” Bucky said in a low voice.

“The second time what?”

“The second time you’ve known important, vital information that you neglected to share with a teammate,” Bucky shot back. “In this case, you’ve really made a mess of things.”

Steve wasn’t sure what he meant until he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that he and Bucky were being surrounded. But not by enemies. No, the NYPD was standing around them in a loose circle, alongside two superheroes that Steve only vaguely recognized. The Wasp and Antman. He looked from the two of them to Bucky in complete confusion.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“You’re under arrest for conspiracy,” one of the NYPD men said.

“What?!” Steve exclaimed. “That’s crazy!”

“Having knowledge of a crime like attempted murder and failing to report it is a crime,” said the Wasp.

“I – I didn’t know exactly what they were going to do!” Steve protested. “Buck, you have to believe me!”

Bucky was watching him with sad eyes now. “You’ve changed so much. The little punk that I used to know would never have pulled a stunt like this. It didn’t have to be like this, Steve. I hope someday you can understand what I mean when I say that.”

“Buck!” Steve said, but Bucky was turning away. Steve wanted so much to go after him – to make him understand – but the NYPD shifted aside to let Bucky go before closing ranks. 

“You should cooperate,” Antman told him.

Steve set his jaw and, for all of five seconds, seriously contemplated forcing his way through. He could do it. None of these people could stand up to a super soldier.

But he had the feeling that would just mean Bucky would get involved, and the last thing he wanted was to fight Bucky.

He wanted to fight _with_ Bucky, not against him.

So mutely, he submitted to having his hands cuffed behind his back while his rights were read. He was led to a police car and pushed inside. The NYPD officer told him that a lawyer would be waiting for him at the station. That was cold comfort considering that Steve didn’t know any lawyers, and he was getting the feeling that Tony wasn’t going to pay for one. He closed his eyes, defeated.

When had it all gone so wrong?


	7. Chapter 7

“It’s over. They got them.”

Those words, whispered into Tony’s ear by Rhodey, were the cause of so much relief that Tony’s knees actually grew weak. Still, he didn’t skip a beat in his speech. He finished speaking to thunderous applause and moved aside as the holograph went into effect, showing a demo of their newest product. It gave him the chance to glance at Rhodey, hoping he hadn’t misheard.

Rhodey grinned, the first true smile he had seen from Rhodey in a long time and gave him the thumbs up.

It was real then. Because they were on stage, Tony couldn’t celebrate the way he really wanted to. He had to remain the consummate professional while the press watched the video, and then return to the podium to answer their many questions. At one point, he noticed Rhodey leaving the stage and had to fight the urge to immediately follow to find out all the dirty details.

 _Finally_ , he reached the point where Pepper could take over and quickly made his way off stage. Bucky was the first person that Tony saw: he was leaning against the wall, head tipped back against the exposed brick, eyes shut. Just one look at him and Tony knew for sure that Bucky was fresh out of a conversation with Steve Rogers, which would be enough to try anyone’s patience.

“Alright?” Tony asked quietly when he was within earshot.

Bucky sighed, rolling his head to the right and opening his eyes to look at Tony. “I just don’t understand him,” he said tiredly, and there was no need to ask who the ‘him’ was. “It was exactly how I said. He didn’t even have a decent excuse.”

“I’m sorry,” Tony said. He knew how hard this was on Bucky and, for a moment, he really hated Steve Rogers for not being the kind of person that Bucky needed him to be. 

“It’s not your fault,” Bucky replied, rubbing a hand over his face. “It’s Steve’s fault, or maybe it’s nobody’s fault. I just wish he weren’t so goddamn stubborn, that’s all. They arrested him for conspiracy.”

“That probably won’t stick,” Tony said thoughtfully. Not with the Captain America reputation behind him, and especially not if Rogers had a half-decent lawyer to grease the way. It was much more likely that the charges would be dropped – or that a plea deal would be arranged that involved some kind of community service and court-mandated therapy. 

Personally, Tony was hoping for the latter. As satisfying as it would be to see Steve Rogers end up behind bars, he knew that Bucky would find that really hard. It also wouldn’t look very good for the reputation of the Avengers. As it was, they were going to have to figure out how to deal with Maximoff and Barton.

“You don’t think so?” Bucky said, looking at him in surprise.

“I’m not a lawyer, but probably not. People have done worse and got off for less,” Tony told him. “Now come on. Let’s find Coulson. I want to hear what happened.”

They ran into Coulson on the first floor of the building; he had been coming to find Tony. Natasha was with him. Tony slowed when he saw her, startled. He’d known she was around, but he hadn’t expected to run into her so soon. She didn’t look very good. She had lost weight, and her face was thin and pale. Instead of striding confidently at Coulson’s side, she walked a half-step behind him. 

“Maximoff and Barton are under arrest,” Coulson said, not bothering with a greeting. “Well, actually, Maximoff is on the way to the hospital under police guard.”

“The hospital?” Bucky echoed.

“I shot her,” Natasha said flatly. “She was trying to kill Clint.”

Even as the latter part of her words registered, Tony eyed her speculatively and thought that he would bet good money that wasn’t the _only_ reason Natasha had shot her.

“Kill Clint? I thought they were working together,” said Bucky.

“We don’t know the full story yet, but the two of them were fighting when we arrived,” said Coulson.

Natasha shrugged. The sleeves of her sweatshirt slid down over her hands. She said, “Clint told me that he started to have second thoughts when he realized that killing Tony wouldn’t undo everything that’s happened so far. Then Wanda started hitting on him.”

“Eww,” Tony muttered before he could stop himself, grimacing.

“Yeah, pretty much,” she said, nodding. “Clint’s always looked at her like she was his kid… he treated her like Lila. He was creeped out. Wanda lost her temper. I think things between them unravelled pretty fast.”

Tony couldn’t say he was surprised by that. Maximoff had always been kind of unhinged and losing her powers had clearly snapped what little remained of her sanity. It was frankly a miracle that she hadn’t lost it on Barton long before that – though up until that point, Barton had been useful to her. Perhaps she’d even entertained thoughts of taking Laura’s place. He inwardly shuddered. Barton had dodged a bullet today.

“But they’re definitely going to jail, right?” Bucky asked, looking to Coulson.

“Maximoff will be for certain, especially once we provide the prosecutor with evidence of her Hydra crimes. Professor Xavier has also agreed to be a witness against her; he’s very well respected in the mutant community and what he says about Wanda will hold a lot of clout. I already have Doctor Strange looking into the best way to make the binding on her magic permanent, or ways to remove it entirely,” said Coulson.

Bucky’s shoulders relaxed slightly. Tony knew how he felt. Maximoff wasn’t harmless without her powers, but she was considerably less dangerous. Knowing there was one less person out there who could root around in their minds couldn’t be anything other than a good thing. Besides that, it meant that Maximoff would have a much more difficult time ever breaking out of jail.

Frowning, Coulson continued, “Clint is more of a question mark. His lawyer may argue a case of temporary insanity and he could end up being sent to a mental health facility. I’m not sure if that would hold up or not. His therapist will likely be called as a witness, but it may depend on the lawyer and the jury. At any rate, that’s not our problem.”

At that Tony exchanged a glance with Bucky, wondering how true that was. He wouldn’t have been shocked if Natasha or Coulson chose to take the stand in Barton’s defence. He was pretty sure that Laura wouldn’t, since she was in the process of serving Clint with divorce papers, but love could make people do strange things.

Either way, he realized that he didn’t care. The legal system could take care of both Maximoff and Barton, and Rogers too for that matter. Tony might get called as a witness – in fact, he probably would be – but beyond that, he didn’t have to worry about them. Coulson could take care of all the smaller details from here on out. That was a freeing feeling like he had never felt before.

“Thanks,” he said to Coulson. “Always good to end a day without being shot.”

Coulson sighed and rolled his eyes as he turned away, but Tony was pretty sure he saw a small smile on Coulson’s face and so he considered that to be a win.

“Hey Coulson!” he called out.

“What?” Coulson said, turning.

“When this is all said and done, you should think about taking a break. I hear the farm life is great this time of year,” Tony said, shooting him a significant look. Just because Clint had fucked up royally didn’t mean Coulson and Laura had to lose what they had. If there was even a chance they could make it together, Tony hoped they’d take it.

“He’s right,” Natasha said.

Coulson glanced between the two of them. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said before leaving, and Tony hoped that he would.

Once he was gone, Bucky turned to Natasha and bluntly asked, “Are you coming back to the Avengers?” 

“Uh, I didn’t think there’d be a place for me after what happened,” Natasha said slowly, looking startled. Bucky glanced at Tony and raised his eyebrows; he clearly didn’t feel like it was his place to offer that to Natasha but had no qualms about putting the pressure on Tony.

“That’s… that’s kind of up to you,” Tony said awkwardly, fiddling with his suit jacket. 

Natasha bit her lip, then looked right at Tony. “I knew about your parents too,” she admitted. “Steve promised me that he was going to tell you and I thought that was best. Had I known that he was going to put off telling you, or that he would tell you the way he did, I would have told you myself. I’m sorry.”

Steve could have taken a lesson on how to apologize from Natasha, Tony thought. He watched her for a moment, trying to figure out whether she was being sincere. With Natasha, it was sometimes hard to tell. She was excellent at hiding her emotions and lying to people. He could have been skeptical, or prodded her for more details, but he realized that he didn’t want to. He was tired of having to be suspicious towards everyone in his life. He wanted to believe her.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “I appreciate that. If you want to come back to the tower with us, you can. I bet you fifty bucks that Bruce is halfway through planning a pizza party.”

“That’s a fool’s bet,” Bucky said, rolling his eyes, and Natasha smiled slightly.

“I’d like to see Bruce again,” she said. “And I hear you have some new Avengers. I’d like to meet them too.”

“Sure,” Tony said, pulling out his phone to text Rhodey, Bruce, Hope, Scott, Peter, Sharon and Strange. It was short notice, but he figured everyone would make an exception. He might even be able to arrange a helicopter to pick up Laura and the kids; that would be a sure-fire way to get Coulson to come. He stepped away from Natasha and Bucky, edging out into the hallway. But he wasn’t so far away that he couldn’t hear Bucky speak up behind him.

“I believe you, but if you hurt him again I’ll kill you.”

Tony nearly choked.

“You know Maximoff was controlling us,” Natasha replied.

“She was that time, but what about the other times?” Bucky countered.

Other times? Just what had FRIDAY been telling Bucky?! Tony’s fingers clenched around his phone.

Natasha was quiet for a few seconds. Then she said, “You’re very protective of him.”

“Tony helped me with no strings attached when no one else would,” Bucky said. “I’ll protect him with everything that I have.” His voice was loud and rough and _firm_. “So just make sure you step carefully.”

“I will,” Natasha said, and then, a little more thoughtfully, she added, “I’m glad Tony has you.”

“What do you mean?” Bucky asked, which was a perfect echo of Tony’s thoughts.

“There aren’t many people who truly care about Tony Stark. Most people care more about the things that Tony can provide than about _him_. But you’re not like that, are you?” she said.

“No,” Bucky said. “I’m not.”

“That’s why I’m glad. Tony needs someone like you. He deserves you… and I think you deserve him,” Natasha said, but she didn’t say it in a mean way. Rather, her voice was filled with as much kindness as Tony had ever heard from Natasha Romanov.

Tony’s phone rang then, and he had to answer to speak to Laura, so he missed the rest of the conversation. By the time he had finished convincing Laura to pack up the kids, Natasha was slipping by him with Bucky right behind her. Bucky hung back, letting Natasha go on ahead, and raised an eyebrow as Tony hung up.

“Eavesdropping?” he asked.

Tony shrugged. “Is it really eavesdropping if you knew I was out here?”

Bucky smiled, amused. “I guess not. What did Laura say?”

So they weren’t talking about it. Tony decided he was okay with that. Right now, he just wanted to head back to the tower with his team and celebrate the fact that Maximoff was _finally_ going to be behind bars. They still had a ton of work to do, but for once Tony wasn’t going to have to do all that work by himself. He had people who cared about him who could and would help.

“She said yes, but that we’re on Nate duty tonight,” Tony said, and promptly cracked up at Bucky’s poorly hidden look of horror. 

“Great,” Bucky said unenthusiastically, which only made Tony laugh harder.

“Relax, Bucky,” he said warmly, patting Bucky’s arm. “You’ve faced down Hydra armies. A baby is no big deal.”

Bucky looked unconvinced. “I’d rather face the army.”

“We’ll all be together. It won’t be just us,” Tony pointed out, his stomach fluttering. 

Because for once, it was _true_.

“Okay, you convinced me,” Bucky said, his expression softening. “Now come on. Let’s get outta here before the press figures out you’re still here and want just one more interview.”

Tony smirked. “Can’t argue with that. Let’s get out of here and go celebrate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This officially concludes this series! Thank you so much to everyone who stuck with me until the end. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](https://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


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